Friday, September 3, 2010

PLUM FOCACCIA - FOCACCIA AUX QUETSCHES

I can never get enough of yeasty treats, tarts and Italian plums. I find such grub irresistible and totally addicting. Those are some of my favorite things, hence the quasi-obsession I have with them. If you put such kinds of food in front of me I'll very likely stuff my face with them. Yes, I am a little "pig" and I am not ashamed of telling you that. Call me little Miss Piggy if you want (LOL Nonetheless, I know when to stop and how to control my diet)...

Well, now has come the Italian plum season and, although it announces the end of summer I am incapable of not rejoicing at the idea of preparing divine pastries with those delightful stone fruits. In my opinion, they are far better than peaches and nectarines (only apricots come close to plums) as they are more exhalirating, flavorful and have a more gorgeous deep purple color.

Italian plums are my most beloved variety of plums. With their slightly tart and almost lemony as well as smoky flavor they are quite different from the common plums that are widely spread and lot less complex as well as delicate taste-wise (not as multilayered in flavor).

Also known as questches or pruneaux in Switzerland (or France), they make me travel back in the past and bring back cherished memories. My Swiss grandparents had many fruit trees around their house and always picked tons of Italian plums. They used them for making "Gâteau Aux Pruneaux" (plum tart) and the rest which could not be eaten straight away was put in the freezer. I can still remember biting into those frozen whole plums and being blown away by their lusciousness. When I visited "Pépé et Mémé" (Nan & Pop in French) during the summer that's what we ate to cool down. That icy treat was fantastic and was even more fulfilling than ice cream.

A while ago, I was leafing through one of my Swiss cookery magazine and saw a recipe for a "Plum Tart" made with brioche dough. Of course, it caught my attention and made me salivate. I absolutely had to make something like that.

The "Italian Plum Focaccia With Cottage Cheese" I created was very much inspired by the one of "Cuisine De Saison". I used a very similar dough base, but instead of topping the plums with crumble I thought that it would be a great idea to use cottage cheese instead. The result was just incredibly scrumptious!

The bread was soothingly sweet, rich and pillowy soft. The combination of cinnamon, plums and cottage cheese was perfect and tasted divine. The focaccia was a really success and did not last long.

Methode:1. In a bowl mix together the flour, the light brown sugar, the vanilla sugar and the salt. Make a well in the centre of the flour.2. Add the yeast to the lukewarm milk and let rest for 5 minutes.3. Pour the yeasted milk in the well. Incorporate enough flour in order to obtain a thick paste. Let rest for about 20 minutes or until the mixture is bubbly.4. Add the butter and the egg. Mix well in order to get a ball of dough.5. Knead the dough for 10 minutes, until it is soft and passes the window pane test.6. Place the dough in a well-oiled bowl and cover with a humid towel. Let rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size.7. Roll the pastry in a 1 cm/0.4 inches thick rectangle and place it on a baking pan covered with baking paper.8. Cut the plums in half and remove the stone. Place the plums in neat and tight rows with the cut part facing up. Sprinkle the cottage cheese over the fruits and then the sugar as well as the cinnamon.9. Let the dough rise for about 30 minutes and preheat the oven to 200° C (400° F).10. Sprinkle the Amaretto over the fruits and bake for about 25-30 minutes in the bottom part of the oven.11. Remove from the oven and let cool on a baking rack.

Remarks:Depending on how your plums are juicy you might have to bake the focaccia a little while longer so that your bread dough doesn't end up all soggy.You can also flavor the dough with lemon zest or extract.

Serving suggestions:Serve as a meal, dessert or teatime treat.You can eat the focaccia with whipped cream or lemon pastry cream.

Your pictures of this dish are incredible. I wish you could come to my house and take pictures for my blog..lol (and bring me some of that lucious plum foccacia). I also love everything yeasty and could never get enough. I would surely pig out too on this delicious treat:)

Delicious, Rosa! This focaccia sounds so wholesome. I've never seen cottage cheese on one before, but it looks wonderful...p.s. my grandparents had fruit trees all around their yard too. Figs-they were like caramel in the summer.

Why have I not featured any plum desserts on my blog? I'm too busy eating them! I'm obsessed with them too Rosa. and I love your recipe here I'm sure it did not last very long. Plums make for a great flavoring component to many recipes!